


Like a Knife to the Heart

by somethinginthestars



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Non-graphic depictions of violence, Pre-Captain America: The First Avenger, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective!Bucky, Steve gets stabbed, and bucky does what bucky does best, bucky has a tracker, take care of steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:06:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28540050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somethinginthestars/pseuds/somethinginthestars
Summary: Steve gets stabbed.I got the idea from an OTP prompt that said “you’re dressing my wounds and yelling my ear off about how stupid and crazy I am and you realize I’m being oddly quiet and you look up to see me staring at you longingly, what would you do?” and someone commented “Stucky” so I wrote it.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 4
Kudos: 56





	Like a Knife to the Heart

The best day of Steve’s life was the day someone pulled a knife on him. Bucky was at the docks working a late shift so nothing stopped Steve from taking an after-dark stroll through the city. He’s been itching to draw the city at night lately. He’s done it before, but only from his window or sometimes Bucky would take him to the park. He doesn’t have his supplies on him, but he’s confident he’d be able to recreate the city night life from memory.

Unless you’re purposefully trying to avoid them, it’s possible to walk far without passing a bar. Steve’s mistake was mindlessly meandering with his eyes plastered to the skyline. It was only a matter of time before some drunk bastard got the smart idea to jump him. Steve was yanked into an alley before he knew what was happening. One thing led to another and Steve’s staring at the glare of sharpened metal extended towards him. It’s not the first time someone has pulled a knife on Steve, but it’s only ever been school kids who knocked a blade from their fathers or older brothers; this guy is drunk in his 40s and Steve’s not so sure he’s too chicken—or too sober—to actually use it. He knows all too well what fully grown drunk men are like.

“Hey!”

For a split second, Steve feels his entire body slip into a sense of calm and safety. The drunk man has to look over to evaluate the situation. His reaction to the new development is quite the opposite as Steve’s, but no less hasty. Steve watches the man’s eyes go wide. Steve blinks and the man is lunging out at him. Warmth blooms in Steve’s side as he watches the man booking it down the alley.

Bucky’s hands are on Steve before anything else can happen, though there’s really nothing else that is going to happen. “What the hell, Steve? What are you doing out this late?” Bucky’s tearing up his own shirt before Steve can protest about money and needing those clothes for work. Bucky guides Steve to apply pressure to the cut before slinging Steve’s free arm over his shoulder to walk him home.

“Felt like drawing,” Steve says.

“So you draw the kitchen where you can’t get mugged!”

Steve wants to argue but it’s nothing they haven’t argued about before. In fact, all of their disagreements have the same basic theme: Bucky wants Steve to be safe and Steve wishes Bucky didn’t have a reason to look out for him all the time. For the most part they’ve come to some sort of silent agreement: Steve only does dumb things he can survive and shuts his yap when Bucky invariably swoops in to clean up the mess. It’s only times like these when Steve gets seriously injured (bruises are manageable and when he gets sick there’s nothing to blame but his bad genetics).

Bucky’s worst fear is Steve getting shot.

Steve can see the horror on Bucky’s face when he slumps onto the couch like a dead weight. Bucky immediately goes to fetch the gauze. Steve takes off his shirt before Bucky can come back and insist on doing it himself.

“Christ, Stevie,” Bucky says when he sees the wound. His tone is more of a mournful cry than the jab it was meant to be. Bucky’s never been all that good at yelling. Lecturing, however, is an entirely different story, and it is exactly what Bucky’s back to doing as he dresses the wound.

Steve stares at Bucky’s face while his face is all furrowed concentration on the injury. Something in Steve’s gut feels funny but it’s perfectly familiar. He’s on the verge of figuring it out at long last when Bucky meets his gaze and Steve is gone. Bucky knows: he has to. The look on his face is the same.

Then his lips are pressed to Steve’s and Steve would get stabbed a hundred times over to kiss Bucky again.

“Go to sleep, Stevie. I’ll take care of you.”

When Steve wakes up in his bed, he thinks it was just another fever dream.


End file.
